Specialist Chambers President will not meet Thaci, Haradinaj and Veseli

Former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) who currently hold three key positions in Kosovo institutions will not meet the President of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Ekaterina Trendafilova, who is expected to arrive in Kosovo on Thursday.

According to Kosovo daily Koha Ditore Trendafilova during her visit to Kosovo on Thursday will avoid meeting with President Hashim Thaci, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and Speaker of Assembly Kadri Veseli for two reasons: Trendafilova does not want to meet potential indictees of this court; and another reason might be the inappropriate statements that some officials made towards the Specialist Chambers. The daily writes that Thaci, Veseli and Haradinaj, are mentioned in the report prepared by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty on their alleged involvement in war crimes. During her first official visit Trendafilova will be accompanied by Fidelma Donlon, Registrar of the Specialist Chambers, and will meet representatives of civil society, and ministr of Justice, Abelard Tahiri.

“President Trendafilova will visit Kosovo on the second half of this week. She will meet civil society organisations in Kosovo to inform them on activities of the Specialist Chambers,” the Specialist Chambers press office told Koha Ditore.

Senior Kosovo Liberation Army figures are expected to be indicted and stand trial at the new court for alleged crimes committed during and after the war with Serbia in 1998-99.